Maybe I’m in the vast minority here, but it’s always bugged me that MMORPGs just plop your fully grown, fully proficient adult character into a game world with no explanation whatsoever of who you are or where you’ve come from. Very few games (Guild Wars 2 and Villagers and Heroes being among those) make an effort to outline your character’s history and personality before you’re off to kill 10 rats, which seems to get rid of one of the great parts of pen-and-paper RPG.
I’ve always thought that there’s a missed opportunity here for us players to connect with our characters during the creation process. And sure, we can make up whatever we want in our minds, but having the game provide cues and perhaps even give us option for our heritage, significant past events that shaped us, and the motivation behind our striking out for fame and fortune.
What do you think? Should MMOs do more than give you a blank “biography” panel and actually help you craft a backstory for your character? Could such a feature even be worked into the gameplay itself?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
